Please Help!! Networking File Sharing Permission Issue

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Guest

I really need some help! I have a few computers on Windows XP Home Edition
and I just purchased a new computer with XP Pro. I want to place my most
important folders and files on my XP Pro system and have the other Home
Edition Computers access the Pro computer. This isn't a problem. I can
access the home edition computers files from the XP Pro computer and the XP
Home computers can access the XP Pro computer's files. I can easily get onto
the internet with all computers. Also, every computer pings fine. There
isn't a connection problem. The problem is file sharing. I want specific
home edition computers to only access specific folders on the XP Pro
computer. I don't want to open up every folder on the XP Pro to all the
other computers. I have called and requested help from Microsoft. I'm now
working with my 3rd Microsoft technical support representative and no one can
seem to figure out the solution. The simple file sharing is turned off of
the XP Pro computer. I and each of the Microsoft all the technical support
reps have been in the file sharing/security /permissions screen at least a
100 times. We can establish an Everyone permission and let everyone see a
folder but no one can figure out why we cannot establish specific user
permissions to specific folders. The last rep actually was on two of my
computers for hours last night. He was going to try it in his lab today.
This is not a domain but a workgroup. We've added guest accounts to each
computer and the same user account on Pro and one of the Home Edition
computers. Does anyone have any ideas? Please Help!! I really need this to
work. Thanks so much!
 
If you read carefully the descriptions of the file sharing modes for XP Home
and Professional below, you'll find that though they are compatible when in
"Simple File Sharing" mode, only the XP Professional computer can support the
"Classic security model" which includes groups and users to allow network
access.

This is due to the fact that XP Home will only support the Guest account for
shared access across the network. This was done precisely to make what you're
attempting impossible, so only workgroups of Windows XP Professional PCs
could perform as you wish, since this is considered a "business" feature.
Bitman

Windows XP Baseline Security Checklists
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/security/chklist/xpcl.mspx?mfr=true

Windows XP Home Edition Configuration Checklist Details
Protect File Shares
Windows XP Home Edition uses a network access model called "Simple File
Sharing," where all attempts to log on to the computer from across the
network will be forced to use the Guest account. This means that network
access through Server Message Block (SMB, used for file and print access), as
well as Remote Procedure Call (RPC, used by most remote management tools and
remote registry access) will be available only to the Guest account.

In the Simple File Sharing model, file shares can be created so that access
from the network is read-only or access from the network is able to read,
create, change, and delete files. Simple File Sharing is intended for use on
a home network and behind a firewall, such as the one provided by Windows XP.
If you are connected to the Internet, and are not operating behind a
firewall, you should remember that any file shares you create might be
accessible to any user on the Internet.

Windows XP Professional Configuration Checklist Details
Protect File Shares
By default, Windows XP Professional systems that are not connected to a
domain use a network access model called "Simple File Sharing," in which all
attempts to log on to the computer from across the network will be forced to
use the Guest account. This means that network access through Server Message
Block (SMB, used for file and print access), as well as Remote Procedure Call
(RPC, used by most remote management tools and remote registry access) will
be available only to the Guest account.

In the Simple File Sharing model, file shares can be created so that access
from the network is read-only or access from the network is able to read,
create, change, and delete files. Simple File Sharing is intended for use on
a home network and behind a firewall, such as the one provided by Windows XP.
If you are connected to the Internet, and are not operating behind a
firewall, you should remember that any file shares you create might be
accessible to any user on the Internet.

The Classic security model is used if your Windows XP Professional computer
is joined to a domain or if Simple File Sharing is disabled. In the Classic
security model, users who attempt to log on to the local computer from across
the network must authenticate as themselves and are not mapped to the Guest
account. File shares should be created so that access from the network is
granted only to the appropriate groups and/or individual users.
 
Thank you sooooo much!!! I hope you work for Microsoft. They have probably
spent 10 hours trying to figure this out and finally last night they said I
couldn't do this. They were nice and refunded my money. If you don't mind
I have a few more questions.

1)From what I'm gathering on the internet (I've read multiple articles) you
cannot even connect a Windows XP Home computer to a domain. I'm I
interpreting this correctly?

2)I have my new server with XP Pro and 5 other computers with XP Home. I
only have 2 computers that really need access to everything (or the main
folders) on the server. The other 3 computers need limited access. If I
purchase XP Pro for just the 2 computers that need access to everything then
I set up the folders to only allow access to those computers can I accomplish
what I need without having to purchase XP Pro for all the computers? They
might be able to see the folders in network places but it doesn't matter as
long as the other 3 cannot access the folders. This would still be in a
workgroup instead of a domain.

3. If I decide to purchase XP Pro for all the computers and set up a domain
is this a difficult task knowing I already have a workgroup established. I
only have 6 computers on my network.

4. Sort of off the subject but I can't seem to find a definitive answer
anywhere...some of the files/folders in network places are either no longer
in existance or no longer shared. How do I get rid of those? You can't
delete them. I've tried actually deleting them from the original computer,
or making them no longer shared, and rebooting all computers. I can't seem
to get rid of the 'no longer necessary' items in Network places. Ideas?

Thanks Again!!
 
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